Improved methods of microfabrication have permitted the construction of micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) for use in a wide array of important applications. Commercial applications include digital micromirror devices (DMD; Texas Instruments), accelerometers used in consumer electronics and automobiles (e.g., to detect collisions and trigger airbag deployment; Analog Devices and Motorola), gyroscopes used to detect yaw in automobiles (e.g., to trigger dynamic stability control), and pressure/flow sensors for industrial uses (Honeywell).
MEMS devices are typically fabricated from silicon-based materials, such as single crystal silicon, polycrystalline silicon, silicon dioxide, and silicon nitride, using modified semiconductor device fabrication technologies, normally used to make integrated circuits. These technologies include molding and plating, wet etching, dry etching, such as reactive-ion etching (RIE) and deep reactive-ion etching (DRIE), and electro-discharge machining (EDM). While these fabrication strategies can produce silicon-based MEMS which exhibit excellent device performance, they are typically time consuming, require costly materials, and must be conducted in a cleanroom environment. As a result, MEMS devices are relatively costly, limiting their potential use in many applications.
Therefore, it is an object of the invention to provide MEMS devices, such as MEMS sensors, which are inexpensive, simple to fabricate, lightweight, and/or disposable.
It is also an object of the invention to provide methods of manufacturing MEMS devices, such as MEMS sensors, using inexpensive, lightweight, and/or disposable substrates such as paper.
It is a further object of the invention to provide methods of tuning the chemical and physical properties of substrates, including paper and fabric, for use in MEMS devices.